Contact-plug



- W. J. KOENIG.

CONTACT PLUG. APPLICAUON FILED JAN. 6. I919.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

II I. A

WITNESSES Arman/Us Nil WILLIAM J. KOENIG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CONTACT-PLUG.

To all whom it may concern p Be it known that I, WILLIAM J.. KOENIG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the countyof Kingsand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Contact-Plug, of which the follow-. ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to electric plugs or connectors and has particular reference to connectors that are intended for-easy manipulation and frequent connection and disconnection.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a plug of the character indicated that has maximum strength and reliability for all practical purposes, and yet which can be made at a minimum cost. With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal'section of one form'of my improved contact plug of what is known as the single contact type, and indicating its relation to the metallic socket shown partly in section.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the plug shown in Fig. 1.

- .Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of a two point contact plug made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the form shown in Fig. 3. v Fig. 5 is asectional view partly in elevation of.\a further modification; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modified formof thimble that-may be employed in connection with myimprovement.

In carrying out this invention in a practi-' cal manner I construota plug comprising a body 10 of any suitable non-conducting ma-.

teri-al such as .wood, fiber, hard rubber, or other suitable insulating material. This body is provided with one or more longitudinal bores 11 into which the insulated conductors 12 are conductors or t stripped ends thereof are directly gripped or-locked by a simple con- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

projected and in which said- Patented @ct. 2e, iaia.

. Application filed January 6, 19'19. SerialNo. 269,868.

tact member shown as in the form of a screw 13, the head of which projects at or beyond the end of the body.

Considering the body of the plug as made of wood the boring of the hole 11 therein is a simple expedient and also-the formation of'an extension '14 on this bore 11 through the end of the body is easily effected. In come cases the bores 11 and 14 may be identical or constituting a single bore of uniform diameter from one end of the plug to the other, but in any event the stripped end of the conductor 12 is projected into the end of the bore shown in this instance as 14 where the threads of the screw 13 serve to cause the stripped end of the conductor to be firmly gripped in contact with the body by dotted lines in Fig. 3 will serve to lock the conductor whether it is located in the full line position or in the adjusted dotted line position. This is a feature of extremely vast importance inasmuch as adjustment of the contact points of electric contact plugs is frequently essential for the proper operation of an assemblage. So far as now described a single point contact plug may be.

made for a conductor and consist of but two parts, the body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and a binding member in the form of :a screw, thebinding member having the dual function of locking the conductor in the body and also constituting an adjustable contact point.

In the form shown in Fig. 1 a second conductor 12 is introduced. into a bore 15 ap proximatelypa-rallel to the bore 11 the bore 15 having an extension 16 merginginto the outer surface of the body adjacent to the contact end thereof. A metallic contact thimble 17 is fitted upon the contact end of the body and serves to lock the down turned stripped end 18 of the conductor 12 making it impossible for the conductor to be pulled out, and this thimble. also serves for a contact member in connection with the metallic socket 19. The contact between the thimble.

and the socket may be frictional or direct,

of hollow cylindrical members, .but having ample strength for practical purposes. The

- thimble itself may be locked in place by a screw 22 or any other suitable means.

In Flgs. 3 and 4 I show a two pointed con tact plug the body 10 of which is provided With two parallel bores 11 having extensions 14 leading directly therethrough from one end to the other. The stripped ends 12 of both conductors 12 fitted in the bores 11 are severally locked in the extensions 14 by screws 13 having the characteristics above described in connection with Fig. 1. For the locking of this plug in a socket a transverse pin 20' maybe fitted through, the plug body and having its end projecting forming the equivalent ofthe studs 20 in the other form of the invention.

In Fig. 5 I show a construction in which there are several features different from Fig. 1.. I the first place the plug body 10 has a flat outer end as distinguished from the central projection 10 of Fig. 1 to insure sufiicient space between the metal parts to prevent short circuiting. In Fig. 5 against this flat end is fitted a fiber disk 23 of any Suitable thickness which serves in addition to insulation, as a means to positively hold the cap or thimble 17 on the plug body in connection with-the screw 13 and yet provide for the longitudinal adjustment of the screw, in accordance with the foregoing description. This screw is provided wlth a reduced point or inner end having a hole 13 therethrough or some other equivalent means for the fastening or anchoring of the stripped end 12 of theconductor thereto.

en the wire is thus tied or otherwise secured positively to the screw suitable electric connection is assured and will be maintained under all possible conditions.

The thimble 17 instead. of having the lugs 20 may be provided with a spiral thread for screwing the plug into a socket if desired, as shown in Fig. 6.

As indicated at 17 either form of contact cap illustrated may be provided with one or more longitudinal slits whereby the cap may be formed with an inherent tendency to contract into a smaller cylinder than the seat intended for it at the end of the plug and thereby the cap will be more securely held on the plug body. Furthermore by making the caps with slits I can form them of smaller pieces of waste metal than when they .are formed without slits.

I claim:

- 1. The herein described contact plug comprising avbody of insulatin material having a longitudinal bore forme through one end thereof to receive a covered conductor, the end of the bore being materially reduced in diameter to receive the stripped end of the conductor, a contact member in the form of a screw screwed .into the reduced end of the bore and serving thereby to lock the stripped end of the conductor in the reduced end of the bore, the head of the screw constituting the contact portion of the contact member, said body being bored for a second conductor, and means surrounding the body and constituting a means to lock the :sfecond conductor and'form a contact there- 2. In a contact plug, the combination of a body of insulation having two longitudinal bores formed therein for covered conductors, one of the bores merging into the surface of the body, a contact member fitted in the end of the bore remote from the surface of the body and serving to lock one of the conductors therein, and a contact thimble surrounding the body and serving to bind the other conductor in its bore.

3. In a contact plug, the combination of a body of insulation having longitudinal bores formed therein. one of which merges into the surface of the body adjacent one end thereof, conductors fitted in said bores and having stripped ends extending into the ends of the bores, a contact thimble surrounding the end of the body and serving to lock by direct contact therewith one of the stripped conductors, a contact member fitted into the other bore and serving to secure the other conductor in its bore, and a plurality of locking studs for the plug swaged outward from the thimble.

4., In a contact plug. the combination of a body of insulation having longitudinal bores formed therein and separate conductors having stripped ends projected into said bores. one stripped end being bent outward and downward over the side of the body, a contact thimble slipped upon the end of the body and serving to grip and hold the bent over conductor end, a diskof insulation applied against the end of the body and thimble, and means forming a separate contact passing through the disk and into the end of the body serving to lock the disk and thimble in place, said last mentioned means constituting a means for holding the other 

